📣 News Carpenters With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

[newvillefan]

I’m guessing this, then, is the tracklist (in no particular order)?

Overture
Yesterday Once More
Ticket To Ride
Superstar
Rainy Days And Mondays
For All We Know
We've Only Just Begun
Please Mr. Postman
Close To You
Top Of The World
Hurting Each Other
I Need To Be In Love
I Just Fall In Love Again
I Believe You
Those Good Old Dreams
Touch Me When We're Dancing
Goodbye To Love
This Masquerade
Baby It's You
Merry Christmas Darling

 

[John Eidsvoog]

@John Eidsvoog I take it that means the original rhythm tracks such as drums, piano, bass and guitar have been left intact as per the original album versions (or in some cases the later 1980s and 1990s remixes)?

There was a smattering of overdubbing of bass and I think one drum track (there was something irritating about the mix of one of the tracks) and Richard redid some of the piano tracks. I wasn't around for those sessions so I don't know any more about it. For the most part, the rhythm tracks remain as they were.

 

[John Eidsvoog]

I’m guessing this, then, is the tracklist (in no particular order)?

Overture
Yesterday Once More
Ticket To Ride
Superstar
Rainy Days And Mondays
For All We Know
We've Only Just Begun
Please Mr. Postman
Close To You
Top Of The World
Hurting Each Other
I Need To Be In Love
I Just Fall In Love Again
I Believe You
Those Good Old Dreams
Touch Me When We're Dancing
Goodbye To Love
This Masquerade
Baby It's You
Merry Christmas Darling

I can neither confirm nor deny that very accurate list of songs.

 

[Someday]

Thank you, John. Are you able to say any more about the Christmas project you were initially asked to work on? Like is it something that's still going ahead and might see the light of day sometime?!

 

[Song4uman]

Still hoping for vinyl or at least one of those vinyl companies offering this later. Beach Boys came out on orange double vinyl.

 

[Song4uman]

I think it's you that might have the answer.

I am finally possibly right about something. Many, many, many nights I’ve tried to guess things

Jonathan

 

[John Eidsvoog]

Thank you, John. Are you able to say any more about the Christmas project you were initially asked to work on? Like is it something that's still going ahead and might see the light of day sometime?!

That's a very good question. We've been working with Richard on a handful of Christmas songs through numerous revisions for over 5 years now. I don't know when or if they'll be finished.

 

[Kyle Thomas]

I can neither confirm nor deny that very accurate list of songs.

This is a great list, but I am surprised and somewhat disappointed that nothing from Horizon made the final cut. That has long been my favorite of all the albums, and "Only Yesterday" rivals "Goodbye to Love" as my favorite Carpenters song of all. I wish "Desperado" had made it to the final round. Karen is mesmerizing on that track.

 

[newvillefan]

@John Eidsvoog your participation on this thread has turned it into something that was so unexpected and has really got me even more excited about the project. A big thank you from me for your ongoing contribution, it’s great to hear your anecdotes about a world few of us have been lucky to inhabit and I hope we hear more from you. There are a few unexpected surprises on the tracklist and so much to look forward to! How many weeks is it until December again?

 

[Someday]

That's great. And, er ... Thank You for the Music

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Personally, Christmastime release or not, I'm disappointed "Merry Christmas, Darling" is included; it lessens the chances of playing the CD year round. (The same thing "From The Top" suffered from for a lot of us.)

I wonder since MCD is being included that it might mean Richard wouldn’t consider doing a full Christmas album with the RPO from either CP or AOFC so he gave us MCD. Or it could mean adding MCD could be a push for better sales when a customer see a very well known Christmas track.

 

[newvillefan]

I wonder since MCD is being included that it might mean Richard wouldn’t consider doing a full Christmas album with the RPO from either CP or AOFC so he gave us MCD. Or it could mean adding MCD could be a push for better sales when a customer see a very well known Christmas track.

I’d bet it was included because they knew they were aiming for a Christmas release.

 

[Mark-T]

@John Eidsvoog , I'd be curious to hear what some of your personal favorite Carpenters songs are and why.
Thanks for adding so much to this discussion!

 

[WYBIMLA]

You're getting very warm! But "A Song For You" is not included. I apologize if I let that slip through.

So there's just one more, baby, and you'll be golden!

I almost put "Your Baby" in my maybe pile. Lol
I didn't think he'd touch that one.
Richard talked about how he and Karen loved that oldie and feel dramatic like "Hurts so bad" by Little Anthony and the Imperials.
This is awesome! So that means Richard would add an even bigger sound to it now and brighten it up a bit.
Love what they did with it already.
I'm sooo glad to hear songs that have never been remixed before will get this treatment and attention they deserve.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I’m guessing this, then, is the tracklist (in no particular order)?

Overture
Yesterday Once More
Ticket To Ride
Superstar
Rainy Days And Mondays
For All We Know
We've Only Just Begun
Please Mr. Postman
Close To You
Top Of The World
Hurting Each Other
I Need To Be In Love
I Just Fall In Love Again
I Believe You
Those Good Old Dreams
Touch Me When We're Dancing
Goodbye To Love
This Masquerade
Baby It's You
Merry Christmas Darling

So if this appears to be the list (John has said this is very accurate)
I made a comp in iTunes pulling most all these tracks from the Gold GH Discs except for 2 which I took from the original CD.
The running time is 68 mins. So we can almost figure out how much time the Overture and the interludes will be.

If you change out Baby It's You and Insert You're Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore, it's only 1 extra min so 69 min run time.

I'm not sure if it's 74 mins or 80 mins you can get on an audio CD, but the difference will be the running time of the Overture & Interludes.
Which would be 5/6 mins for a 74 min CD and 11/12 mins for the 80 min CD.

 

[WYBIMLA]

Oh nvm ignore me looks like @newvillefan got it right.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

From Stephens List above, Songs from each album:

Ticket to Ride: 1
Close To You: 3
Carpenters: 3
A Song For You: 3
Now & Then: 2
Horizon: 1
AKOH: 1
Passage: 1
CP: 1
Made in America: 3
VOTH: 0
AOFC: 0
Lovelines: 0
ATGB: 0

 

[Someday]

It will be very interesting to hear tracks from Made In America remixed, as we've all said over the years that the original mix pushed the vocals back too far and created that 'airbrushed' sound.

 

[ullalume]

It will be very interesting to hear tracks from Made In America remixed, as we've all said over the years that the original mix pushed the vocals back too far and created that 'airbrushed' sound.

Yeah. To me ears she sat just fine on BELIEVE and TOUCH ME but very excited to hear what he does with DREAMS, particularly since it never made it onto the SACD.

 

[ullalume]

@John Eidsvoog your participation on this thread has turned it into something that was so unexpected and has really got me even more excited about the project. A big thank you from me for your ongoing contribution, it’s great to hear your anecdotes about a world few of us have been lucky to inhabit and I hope we hear more from you. There are a few unexpected surprises on the tracklist and so much to look forward to! How many weeks is it until December again?

Here here Stephen.

John, you've really turned the thrill level of an already exciting time up to 11.

Thanks so much for that.

Neil

 

[Simon KC1950]

Where do we go from here? What's next? When do we get to see the album cover, pre-order?

 

[Actorman]

This is a great list, but I am surprised and somewhat disappointed that nothing from Horizon made the final cut.

"Please Mr. Postman" is there.

 

[Kyle Thomas]

"Please Mr. Postman" is there.

That's true -- I forgot that one is on there. And I suppose if you're going to pick one from Horizon, you'd go for the biggest hit there. But several others on that album would have sounded better with the Orchestra, in my opinion. A new version of "Postman" isn't as appealing to me as "Desperado" would have been, or "Only yesterday" and "Solitaire."

 

[newvillefan]

several others on that album would have sounded better with the Orchestra, in my opinion. A new version of "Postman" isn't as appealing to me as "Desperado" would have been, or "Only yesterday" and "Solitaire."

I’m quite surprised Only Yesterday didn’t make the cut as it’s usually always on compilations and I know Richard is proud of the recording and composition. Maybe with all the vocal overdubs and the frenetic tom tom fills, adding a busy new orchestral arrangement as well just wouldn’t have worked.

 

[motownboy]

This is a great list of songs, regardless of what might be missing from one's own personal favorites! This could literally be the biggest selling and best loved of all the RPO projects to date. I frankly never thought Richard would go for doing this kind of thing. To quote another loved and admired female vocalist, "December will be magic again!"